T Nation

Chad Waterbury and Frequency?

Bodybuilding
#1

Hi everyone, this is my first post on this board. I’ll have to say, I’ve been on the boards for a few years now and this one his bare none the best training knowledge. awesome, awesome board.

I’ve been readind alot of Chad’s articles on here and all of it makes sense including the frequency. I’m sure it would take a lil bit of time to build up some work capacity to do some of these programs though

On to my question.

I agree with the fact that the more productive training sessions you can have a year the faster you grow. obviosly. However, many of the high frequency routines I performed in the past were dual factor program. You train the muscle 3x a week but your not fully recovered always from workout to workout. You may do a 6x6 workout and next time its 6x2. There was loading phases and unloading phases. where as chad’s programs seem to be single factor training (train-recover/grow-train) so i’m having a lil hard time understanding the EOD training frequency.

Can some explain this to me?

#2

ADAPTATION.

Stimulate dont anhililate.

Work Through soreness.

All the above going together. You will stimulate the muscle to grow and adapt. If there is soreness as long as not MAJOR you work through it. This will have you adapt and speed your ability to heal and in thoery grow.

Thats my take, Hopefully if a botched it all upo Chad will come clean up and scold me for being such a dolt.

Hope that helps,
Phill

#3

Hi Andre23

Ive tried many methods of training, from high intensity, bulgarian weightlifting, linear classic periodisation,conjugate method… All deliver some gains but frequent training works the best for me. My goals are to become strong, fast,leaner with loads of muscle to show for it, but most of all I wat to develop the capacity to do large amounts of work frequently.This work capacity helps me in my sport (I box and play rugby) and it helps me train more frequently in order to achieve my goals. I train daily and whenever I lose a bit of strength I take a DAY OR TWO OFF.

My advice to you is vary your exercises frequently,as soon as your workload on an exercise decreases switch it, also vary your reps, some days you feel like crap and yet you are strong in the gym other days you had a good nights sleep, and are keen and ready to train yet you are weak in the gym, this happens. The key is a long term upward trend in the amount of work you do. If i want to peak my strength, Ill take two days off, cut the volume and add more weight.The rules I follow are these: never train close to failure, cut the volume or weight or change the exercise when it stagnates, take a day or two off when you are beat, train as frequently as you can without depleting yourself. Here is what I do at the moment:
Day 1
all sets and reps after warm up

SQUAT 5X5: at one weight, when i get all the reps I add weight and drop the reps, until i get 5x5

Bench Press: as above

Shrugs 3 x 20

barbell curl 3x20

Day 2

front squat 5x5

Dumbell bench press 3 x20
dumbell shrugs 3 x20
hammer curls 3x20
dumbell skull crushes 3x20

Day 3

deadlift 5x5
bench press 5x5
narrow grip bench press 1x20
shrugs 3x20
barbell curls 3 x20

start at day one again

I usually do plenty of dumbell snatches and overhead squats but ive given those two a rest for the past 10 days. I usually train 6 days a week, but ive trained as many as 10 days in a row without going stale and as little as 1 day on and 3 days off. go by how your body allows you. I also run 2km straight after training or i box 2 rounds with my sparring partner. I do abs twice a day.
My whole training session is done in less than 40min. Remember failing to adapt to training is adapting to training, I think the mighty Louie Simmons said that.

#4

I’m surprised by this many 20 rep sets!

[quote]WOODY wrote:

Shrugs 3 x 20

barbell curl 3x20

Dumbell bench press 3 x20
dumbell shrugs 3 x20
hammer curls 3x20
dumbell skull crushes 3x20

narrow grip bench press 1x20
shrugs 3x20
barbell curls 3 x20
[/quote]

#5

I have never trained using so many reps, I come from an O/weightlifting backround, so in the past my idea of repping is anything over 3! Ive found that if i take my time and build up to 20 reps on my assistance work I can train more frequently, i dont always do 20 reps I work up to it gradualy, add weight and then drop down to like six. ive found i need to rep on the shrugs as my grip gives in and big traps = cool in the words of Jim Wendler. Like today on barbell curl I only did 3 sets of 10, so when in the next 3 weeks I hit that weight for 3 sets of 20 I can up the load.

#6

[quote]WOODY wrote:
Hi Andre23

Ive tried many methods of training, from high intensity, bulgarian weightlifting, linear classic periodisation,conjugate method… All deliver some gains but frequent training works the best for me.[/quote]

I noticed there are no rows in this plan, thats not good

#7

In dual factor theory fatigue is managed by lowering volume or intensity or frequency after a certain accumulation of fitness and fatigue, though volume decrease to me is the best method to manage accrued fatigue while still keeping accumulated fitness levels higher than pre-cycle if central fatigue levels arent drastically high.

CW does in fact suggest unloading weeks and lowering volume and/or unloading trainess every 3-4 weeks and this must be his way to manage accumulated fatigue. Why hasnt he specifically mentioned how to go about this in his routines, I do not know.

Besides that he promotes active recovery sessions which when the eccentric protion isnt emphasized are an awsome way to enhance recovery and thus another fatigue management tool.

Im waiting for the only article that will ever matter to me atleast, when CW explains how to PERIODIZE with his concepts of gradual build-up to higher volumes and frequencies and ultimately intensity levels.

I have so many ideas of how to do this but I want to read it from the man himself.

#8

does the fact that he recomends different exercises from workout to workout have anything to with it??

#9

I’m wondering if switching the exercises has anything to do with it?